When I used to play the guitar (in my teenage years), I was intrigued by the psychological perception of pitch. If I play a C, and I tune the E string a little flat, it still sounds like a major third. But if I keep turning the peg, eventually it's no longer a flat E, it's a sharp E-flat, and it sounds like a minor third. So what happens…

About four days ago, I started learning Csound, basically a programming language for sound synthesis. Two days ago, I ordered Producing In The Home Studio with Pro Tools on half.com. Later in the day, I put in a call to a guitarist I found on Craigslist who was supposed to give me guitar lessons in exchange for piano. This morning, I picked up…

If you've ever been to a Freestyle Love Supreme show, you've probably had occasion to compare me to Harpo Marx. (And if you haven't, get your ass out there - we've only got one left until we break for the summer...)…

So I got all caught up with this AD/HD thing and I missed last week's update. It's OK though, cause shit is exactly the same now as it would have been then. The Village Underground HAS in fact reopened, but I haven't been back. I've skipped the jazz open mic at Cleopatra's Needle every Sunday for weeks now. I even missed the drum circle I was…

About a year ago, the people at my place of work got together and did a pretty cool thing: they put together a CD of artists who work there, had it professionally mastered and produced, and gave them away for free by the bushload. Today, I have found out that they're doing it again…

Hmm. Interesting week. I put up an ad on Craigslist for people to play jazz with, as my piano skills have been severely waning. So far, I've gotten some promising responses, so that's pretty exciting. Strangely enough, the very same day I posted the ad, I got an e-mail from a guy I played with only once and haven't seen for months inviting me…

So I sang at the Sidewalk Café tonight. I was number 20, so I went on at a little before 11. Tim, Murphy, and Carlos all turned out, while soce, the elemental wizard offered experienced advice and moral support over the phone…

For those of you who have clamored to hear the new version of If We Were, I'm going to hit the open mic at the Sidewalk Cafe tomorrow night (Monday, September 1st). You only get 8 minutes, so I'm only gonna do the one song (it's fucking seven minutes long). I don't really know too much about details, but I'll probably find out more by tomorrow…

Just came back from a night at the Sidewalk Café with Tim. Monday nights are the "Anti-Hoot Open Mic." We didn't go to perform this time, just to scope out the scene. But who should we run in to, but our boy from back in college, soce the elemental wizard? Unfortunately, I had to go home for sleep before he went on, but I see him a bunch anyway…

Yeah, yeah, I know it's not Tuesday morning yet, but the Village Underground is closed for the next four weeks, so I'm going to bed early tonight, and damned if I'm gonna try to post before going to work tomorrow…

Mmm. I slept for a long time on the D train on the way home, and when I came out, there was a very soothing gentle rain raining. It reminded me that there is more in the world than customers, computers, and late lonely nights…

Ok, I'm gonna start a new trend as part of my new pushing forward mentality. Every Tuesday morning (or late Monday night, however you prefer to look at it), I'll put together a little progress report on what's happened musically the past week…

Whew! What a night! Went to the 5$ soul/funk/R open mic at the Village Underground tonight, hosted by Grammy nominee Schon Jomel. The band there is tight. And they know like every classic soul/R song you've ever heard of, and most of the ones you haven't. So imagine my surprise tonight when I got up there tonight, all dry-mouthed and shaky…